When I was a kid, I couldn't wait to leave my home town - my part of the country. I wanted OUT. I was personally anamoured with the southeast at the time (the result of my mother forcing me to read Gone with the Wind at 13 years of age), and wanted to head in that direction. D.C., or south.

I thought every kid felt that way. They wanted to go elsewhere.

But today, while walking e. to a friend's house, we were talking about the fact that she cannot have a dog until she's an adult, b/c by the time we have a home with a yard that can support a dog (if we ever do), she'll be getting ready to make plans for college. Then we talked about fish. She would like a fish tank. I told her sure, once she has her own room, but she has to do the research, and she has to raise some money (she'll get more than enough if she tells both sets of grandparents and her father). She was amenable to that, but then I asked her waht she'll do with her fish when she goes off to college, and we talked about WHERE she wants to go to college - not specific school, b/c we are sure to tell her it's not time to think about that yet - but if she could pick a part of the country, where she would want to go.

She said, "Definitely somewhere in New England. I really really like New England."

And I realize that when I was itching to get out of my town, I was not 10. I was likely ... 13 and up. I also was in a very different town. I don't think it was officially "rural" - but compared to living in the Boston area (and before that, the SF area), it's rural. We had to drive 30 minutes to get to a movie theater, there were no "coffee shops" - if we wanted to just hang out, we had to have our parents drive us to McDonalds. Ew. When we got old enough, we would find clearings in the woods that we could walk to from someone's house.

e. and j. won't have that experience. They live in an urban area, where they can take the train to anything. They can walk to each other's houses, rather than being dependent on getting a ride from the parents.

Maybe they won't want to "get out"?

or more likely, they'll want to get out and find a life in the country, where there aren't trains clattering by, and sires, and street lights.

Either way - I want a record that when e. was 10, she said said she loves New England, and wants to stay here.

wanting to get out is a natural thing and not always or entirely dependant on where a person grows up. as you know i grew up in LA, had access to a car when i was 16, and pretty much could go anywhere i wanted. except for college, then i felt stuck in LA and the horror of being trapped there sank in.

obviously i did get out as i spent the next two decades in the SF bay area. but even there i ran into peope born and raised in the east bay whole thought LA was the bomb, and they would pump me for info.

it's great that the girls want to stay in new england. i only hope that if their dreams carry them into a future outside of new england that their reasons for leaving aren't because they're trying to get away from anything.